I think you should be able to substitute it directly. I've gone the other direction in recipes often subbing yogurt for sour cream. I've also substituted regular yogurt for Greek without doing adjustment. Greek is a bit thicker but not that much.

Since this is a bread, you can add a bit of water if the dough seems to stiff as it is coming together or start with a bit less flour and add more flour if it seems too sticky. I usually find it easier to add flour than to add water.

Good substitute. I only have greek yogurt. Keep some extras in the freezer. Mine is a bit thicker than sour cream so I thin it a bit. Thin a bit more for heavy cream. And even more for whole milk. (whole milk for baking)

Don't worry about adding milk to it to make it thinner. You are better to add a bit of water to your dough.

The one thing that might make some difference is the fact the sour cream usually has some thickening agent it it that Greek yogurt usually doesn't.

I think it will work . You don't use all that much in the Naan. Thin it with a bit of water.

You can also use buttermilk if you happen to have it.

sleevendog, I didn't know you could freeze Greek yogurt. Does it change the texture any? And does it affect the probiotics?

Probably depends on the brand and if full or non-fat. Mine freezes fine. Have not tested side-by-side. Freezer thawed and fridge fresh.

Good and bad bacteria will go into dormancy when frozen. Said that a small amount may be lost. Same with viruses and soil borne pathogens/fungus. We freezer our yeast for bread.

Heat is the enemy. Good bacteria in ferments like kraut, kimchi, miso, will be destroyed around 115-120F. To completely sterilize soil you need heat around 180-200 for 30 minutes. Why sous vide works at lower temps because of the length of time needed.

FWIW, I've made yoghurt naan often, and my recipe uses regular yoghurt, not Greek.

Now I want to make some 😊

Carol, here's the link to the recipe I am using. Gonna make them today to have with dinner tonight and then leftovers will be the base for pizza lunches tomorrow.

https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/naan-bread/

That looks more traditional than my recipe. Mine has no yeast and uses baking powder, and yoghurt is the only liquid. It's pretty quick - kind of a cheat, I guess, but very yummy. I brush the tops with melted butter as they come off the griddle/skillet and stack them on a plate. Because of the yoghurt, they have a tangy flavor.

Easiest.Bread.Ever!! Unfortunately I haven't had any of it yet. Dinner plans changed. I'll heat them briefly in the toaster oven for dinner tomorrow night. I didn't get to make up all the pieces either. I wrapped up the rest of the dough and put it in the fridge. Guess I'll find out tomorrow if I can revive it.

Those look beautiful!

And I can't believe you were able to resist tasting one 😋

Carol, thanks. I was cussing my body up one side and down the other that I couldn't eat anything. :-(

How was the taste? The recipe that I use (from Secrets of a Jewish Baker) has a lot higher proportion of yogurt (about twice as much in proportion to the flour), less oil, no egg.

It was pretty good. Maybe a little bland but I don't know if it was due to sour cream instead of yogurt? I thought when I make it again I might add another 1/2 teaspoon salt, unless y'all think it was the substitution. But overall I am very happy to find a bread I can actually make 1-handed except to help steady the rolling pin (I have one of those very heavy marble pins.)

I think it's mainly the recipe that made it a bit bland. A quarter cup of yogurt or sour cream isn't much compared to the other ingredients.

Cloud Swift, would you be willing to share the recipe you use? Even though this was easy to make it's a little disappointing to go to the effort when it really could be better. Thank you.

Maybe needed a bit more salt? & did you use salted or unsalted butter?

Or did you mean bland as in not tangy enough?

Here's the recipe I use - I don't use the oven, though, just flip the breads on the griddle (cast iron skillet) until they're puffed and browned, then stack on a plate and brush the tops with melted butter as I stack them. I use salted butter for everything.

Yoghurt Naan

Ingredients:

Servings:

10

• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups plain yogurt - I use whole milk yoghurt

Directions:

Prep Time: 40 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

1. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Stir in the yogurt till the dough is too stiff for a spoon, then knead it in the bowl till it holds together well, adding more flour if necessary.

3. Turn it out on a floured surface and continue kneading for about 5 minutes till the dough feels smooth and elastic.

4. Form the dough into a ball and put it in an oiled bowl, covered with a towel, to rest for an hour or longer.

5. Take the dough out and cut it into 10 equal pieces. Form each into a ball and press the balls flat into round discs.

6. Heat a large frying pan or griddle, either seasoned cast iron or a good non-stick finish.

7. Heat your oven to about 500 and have the broiler on (this is how the original recipe states it - I know with my oven it's either 500 degree oven OR the broiler, but you get the idea.

8. Take 1 piece of dough at a time and roll it out on a floured surface till it is about 8-10 inches across and less than 1/4 inch thick.

9. Lay it on the hot griddle and cook it over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes (I don't think mine took that long).

10. It will puff up in places or all over, and there will be some blackish-brown spots on the bottom.

11 . Slide a spatula under the naan and transfer it to the oven, directly onto the rack, for a minute or two, just till it finishes puffing up into a balloon and begins to color lightly on top.

12. Remove naan from the oven and brush it lightly with melted butter if you like.

13. Continue this way with all the dough, stacking the breads into a napkin-lined basket.

14. Serve the breads hot, fresh from the oven, or let them cool and wrap them up.

15. To reheat, wrap them in aluminum foil, in packets of 4 or 5 breads and put them in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

edie, your breads look beautiful!

I make flat breads like this all summer.

Did you know that naan bread actually came to India from Persia. "Naan" is actually from a Persian language.

Quite possible there might be more tangy taste from yogurt. I use yogurt because that is what I have

You might try a recipe that does not use egg in it and compare the differences. I have never made a flatbread with egg in it. I don't think that an egg in the dough is old school. Egg can add so much liquid to a dough. It is amazing how much flour an egg can absorb! Think about egg pasta. I know that when I make egg breads the dough is sticky. You might try it without the egg. That lack of liquid from the egg would mean to add more yogurt and that might be more of the flavor that you feel is missing.

Those flatbreads can be used in so many ways. The fact that naan is associated with Indian cooking should not restrict the use of these, although I do love to have this with stews of all manner. . They are so versatile.

Other flatbreads will bake up like your naan. Just about any plain bread dough will do the same thing. I make whole wheat flatbreads like this and they puff up almost everytime and make that "pita" pocket. I also make a flatbread with potatoes in it and that also does well to bake in an iron skillet on the stovetop, which is where I bake all of my flatbreads like that.

My own preference is to use white flour for naan that is made using yogurt. I think that it lends itself well to white flour. Whole wheat more for those breads that have some olive oil in them.

I tried to conclude whether it is more traditional to use yeast or baking powder or some other combination of rising agent when making naan. I was unable to conclude either.

As the bread begins to get those little puffs in it, you can hold your spatula gently on top of the bubble and it will cause the bubble to expand outwards, rather than continue to rise in one spot. Once you get two bubbles to meet each other, you are on the way to a good puffing up.

Even flour tortillas will puff up while cooking them. I have watched cooks take the tortilla after it had cooked on one side and slap it down. Now I know that this is to aid in the puffing up, because they will puff up, too. Just about any bread will do this, really.

Even though naan is not known as being a pocket bread like pita bread is. it will still puff and it will make for a nice texture to the bread even if you don't use the pocket.

Actually, I rarely use the pocket created because what happens is that the upper part of the bread where it puffs usually ends up being much thinner than is the bottom of the bread that is first to hit the hot skillet. So, even though there is a pocket, it can be quite delicate and tear up easily.

If your bread has some substance to it, you can roll up things in it and place these rolled up breads in a shallow layer of soup or stew in a skillet, looking much like a layer of enchiladas. Just cook it until the bread softens up with the liquid or the cheese inside melts.

I do this with a thick and hearty bean soup/stew. I will usually lay cheese inside of them and let them soften, cook and melt. Then use a serving spatula to gently lay them on the plate and spoon the beans and broth over them a bit. You can vary this idea a lot. You can use this idea for just about anything that yields something to put in the bread and some type of broth to lay it to cook in. It comes out much like an enchilada or some type of stuffed noodle or what ever analogy you might make.

I do appreciate everyone's help! Next time I am at the store I will get some proper yogurt and try again!

Here's the naan recipe from Secrets of a Jewish Baker by George Greenstein:

1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 tsp (scant) active dry yeast
1 c plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt (I use whole fat yogurt because that's what we keep on hand and he says you can sub sour cream)
2 tbsp vegetable oil, preferably olive oil
2 1/4 tsp salt

He says to put the yeast in warm water to soften and dissolve first, then mix that, 4 cups of flour and everything else together. Then knead adding the remaining flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl turning it to coat. Cover and rise 30 minutes, punch down and allow to rise until doubled in volume (20 to 30 minutes).

I usually just put the ingredients into the bread machine (liquid ingredients first) and process on quick dough cycle.

Put a baking stone or a heavy pan in the oven. Preheat oven to 550 F or as high as it will go if it doesn't go to 550.

Divide into 12 pieces. Shape into balls and coat with melted oil or butter. Allow to rest 15 minutes. On an oiled work surface, roll or press into a 6 inch circle flipping at least once to get oil on both sides. I usually go for more of an oval because that's the way I've seen naan at restaurants. Make indentations with fingertips all over the bread.

Drape a naan over your hand a flip it onto the stone.

He says to bake for about 1 minute, pierce any extra large bubbles. Then turn on the broiler until naan begin to brown, then switch back to bake and take out the naan. Place in a warm towel. I usually don't bother with the broiler. They get brown enough in my oven.